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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-21-16-Joint WS i It EN HILLS Approved: April 11, 2016 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS,MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JOINT MEETING WITH PARKS,TRAILS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE (PTRC) MARCH 21, 2016 5:00 P.M. -ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Grant called to order the City Council work session at 5:00 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, Dave McClung and Jonathan Wicklund Also present: Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Sue Iverson; Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher; Acting Public Works Director John Anderson; City Planner Ryan Streff; Senior Planner Matthew Bachler; Recreation Coordinator Sara Grant; Recreation Programmer Aaron Thelen; and Deputy Clerk Julie Hanson Others present: PTRC Chair Rich Straumann and PTRC Committee Members Steve Scott, John Van Valkenburg, Chuck Michaelson, Josh Bloyer and Keri Bloyer 1. AGENDA ITEMS Councilmember Holden requested that Sandeen Road be added to the agenda for further discussion. Mayor Grant requested Sandeen Road be added to the agenda as item l.I. A. Discussion of the Land O' Lakes Project Community Development Director Hutmacher introduced Stacie Kvilvang of Ehlers & Associates and Jenny Boulton of Kennedy & Graven. She stated the draft abatement agreement is an agreement between the City of Arden Hills, Ramsey County, and Land O' Lakes. She noted the agreement is scheduled for consideration of approval by the City Council at a public hearing on April 11, 2016. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 21, 2016 2 i Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that while construction would be substantially complete by December 31, 2018, the agreement was for a 15-year abatement (or until the maximum abatement funds are distributed). She stated that 1% inflation was factored in to the abatement projection and that if actual inflation was greater than 1% of the assessed value, the abatement would be paid in less than 15 years. Semi-annual payments would begin August 1, 2020, and conclude no later than February 1, 2035. Community Development Director Hutmacher indicated the allowable maximum of$650,000 was being requested from the City due to the expansion increase to 157,000 square feet. This amount included the 1% inflation adjustment but did not include interest. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that within 2 years of completion of the project, Land O' Lakes would add 200 jobs that would pay a minimum wage of$18.00 per hour with a base number of employees of approximately 1,700. She also said that Land O' Lakes was eligible for state job training assistance up to $400,000 and job creation fund assistance up to $2 million and that the City had previously approved a resolution of support for the job creation fund. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that Land O' Lakes must submit construction plans to the City for approval per the terms of the abatement agreement. Following approval, any change in plans that would reduce the building by 15% or result in an assessed value of less than $100 per square foot would require City approval. Community Development Director Hutmacher indicated that Land O' Lakes had agreed to retain its corporate headquarters in Arden Hills for the 15-year term of the abatement. However, if the company moved out of Arden Hills or if the property was sold and was less than 50% owned by Land O' Lakes, the City and County could choose to terminate assistance and request repayment of any assistance already disbursed. She also stated Land O' Lakes must submit annual reports to the City in compliance with the Business Subsidies Act until the goals are met. Mayor Grant requested clarification of the timeline for all jurisdictions. Community Development Director Hutmacher indicated the City will administer final approval on April 11, 2016, and the County and School District will consider an approval on April 12, 2016. Assuming the City approves the agreement, DEED requested a signed resolution and Minnesota Investment Fund application be provided to them on April 12, 2016. Councilmember Holden requested clarification of the draft agreement minimum wage amount of $18.00 an hour versus an amount previously referenced of$19.10 per hour. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated the information previously distributed included an error and that $18.00 per hour is accurate but that the actual hourly wage average was higher than this amount. Marcia Droege, Director of Facilities & Real Estate at Land O' Lakes, stated that of the 200 new jobs, 95% will have wages of at least $19.30 per hour. She stated that the figure of$18.00 per hour was the minimum amount required by the job creation fund. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 21, 2016 3 Councilmember Holden asked when the abatement begins. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated the first abatement payment was scheduled for August 1, 2020. Payment does not begin until that date as the full tax value as determined in 2019 would not be reflected until release of the 2020 payable tax information. Councilmember Holden asked if there would be an issue regarding the City exercising its option to request reimbursement should Land O' Lakes relocate or sell the property. Stacie Kvilvang stated the City Council could ask to be reimbursed for monies spent but that other options included extending the abatement if the Council felt that value has been received. The City Council could also choose to convey the abatement to the next owner. Councilmember Holden requested clarification regarding the land use plan and the abatement agreement. She asked what would happen if a variance was requested by Land O' Lakes that did not receive the City's approval. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that approval of the abatement agreement would have no effect on the land approval process for other work. Councilmember Holden asked if additional employees over and above 200 as referenced earlier would be added due to the increased square footage. Marcia Droege indicated that over the course of the next 10 years, Land O' Lakes expected their growth to average between 3% and 5% each year. She said 200 employees was the baseline required to apply for the job creation fund. She also said that through the year 2024, Land O' Lakes expected their workforce to increase from approximately 1,700 to 2,400 employees. She stated under the job creation fund, Land O' Lakes had 2 years to add 200 positions. If they did not meet this requirement, they would receive a prorated share of the funds. Mayor Grant asked if the City Attorney had reviewed the agreement and had any comments from a legal aspect that the Council should be aware of. City Attorney Joel Jamnik stated that while it is far from being a standard agreement, there was nothing controversial or unusual in the agreement. Councilmember Holden asked if the abatement would be affected if there were to be a crash in the market. Stacie Kvilvang stated the 15-year and$650,000 maximum abatement would still apply. Councilmember McClung commented that while he was generally opposed to tax abatements in any form,he supported this action due to Land O' Lakes' longevity in the community. Councilmember Holmes stated that while it was a somewhat difficult decision for her, she supported the abatement as Land O' Lakes was a good civic partner and she was happy they would remain in Arden Hills. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 21, 2016 4 Councilmember Holden stated this was not a difficult decision for her and that she also supported the abatement as Land O' Lakes has been a longstanding company in Arden Hills. Mayor Grant stated he characterized the City Council as one that was generally not in favor of tax abatements or TIF as a general rule. He said that he also supported the abatement as Land O' Lakes is a Fortune 200 company that is a strong employer in Arden Hills, is supportive in the community and is a longstanding member in the community. He noted that while there are a number of benefits by entering into this agreement with Land O' Lakes, it does not set a precedent regarding tax abatements. Marcia Droege stated that on behalf of Land O' Lakes, she wanted to thank the City Council for the support and strong partnership over the years. She said Land O' Lakes looks forward to a longstanding relationship with the City, the Mounds View School District, Ramsey County and the State of Minnesota. B. Cooperative Agreement Amendment for Final Design of TCAAP Infrastructure Acting Public Works Director John Anderson stated that the Council approved a preliminary design cooperative agreement for site improvements with Ramsey County in December 2014. That preliminary work has been completed and Kimley Horn would like to proceed with final design plans. Acting Public Works Director John Anderson referred to the Amendment No. 1 to Cost Sharing Agreement for Consulting Services agreement between the City of Arden Hills and Ramsey County. The amended agreement apportions costs between the City and Ramsey County. The City's portion was estimated at $357,142.94 and the County's portion was estimated at $885,966.76, for a total of approximately $1.2 million. He noted the total site improvements were estimated at$38 million. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated the City's costs would be reimbursed through assessments or utility fees. Stacie Kvilvang stated that the City would bond for the trunk utilities and engineering costs would be reimbursed to the City up front. She said that the County would make their own decision if they want to be reimbursed up front for their engineering costs. She also stated that once the City issued a debt, costs would be assessed back to the properties and the City should work with the County as to how those assessments would be set up. Councilmember Holden asked for the total actual dollars spent to date on the original agreement with Kimley Horn. She also asked for clarification as to whom Kimley Horn works for, the City or the County. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson stated she will provide actuals to the Council. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated that Kimley Horn was responsible to whomever a task was requested by. He noted Kimley Horn's contract technically was with the County and ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 21, 2016 5 that the City had a cooperative agreement with the County. He also stated that if Kimley Horn requested an increase in fees, they must receive City approval first. Councilmember Holmes asked how the City was financing its portion of the final design costs and when would bonding occur. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson stated that the fees could be paid out of the interfund loan from PIR Fund. This would then be tracked in the TCAAP capital fund. She also noted interest had been taken into consideration. The bonding process could not begin until a master developer is selected. Acting Public Works Director Anderson noted that a new water tower and booster station were included in the final design plans but would not be constructed right away. The preliminary report estimated the water tower size to be 1 million or 1.5 million gallons, which are standard sizes and more cost-effective. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated this analysis was being performed now so that costs can be distributed amongst all users and not just the individuals that purchase their property later. This item is scheduled to be on the Consent agenda at the March 28, 2016, regular City Council meeting. Mayor Grant recommended proceeding to a discussion of agenda item I.E. as the PTRC members were not yet present and were scheduled for 6:30 pm. C. I-694 Non-Motorized Crossing Study Mayor Grant invited Gina Mitteco and Sheila Kauppi of MnDOT as well as the PTRC members to the work session table for this discussion. Introductions were made by all. Gina Mitteco of MnDOT provided an overview of the study which originated during the municipal consent process for the reconstruction of the I-694/TH 51 interchange. The City had asked for logical locations for non-motorized crossings along the I-694 corridor in Arden Hills and specifically desired a trail crossing at Snelling Avenue and I-694. Gina Mitteco stated that the study had expanded to include additional partners such as Ramsey County's Public Works and Active Living representatives as well as other cities along the corridor. She discussed the findings of the report that included an inventory of each crossing throughout the corridor. She said that since there were no major bridge reconstruction projects planned in the near future, there were no opportunities for MnDOT to add bicycle and pedestrian crossings along the 1-694 corridor in Arden Hills. She also stated that many of the roads in the study were City or County roads and were not under MnDOT's jurisdiction. Councilmember Holden stated the Council knows where the trail crossing gaps are and feels this study does not address the City of Arden Hills' issue with bicycle and pedestrian transportation over I-694. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 21, 2016 6 Mayor Grant provided background regarding the 1-694/TH 51 project and said the project did not include a pedestrian crossing. He stated that Arden Hills appealed the design and that as part of the process and negotiations, a trail was requested and subsequently created on Lexington Avenue over I-694. He also stated that the County Road E bridge reconstruction pedestrian walkway was part of the negotiations as were improvements to the County Road F bridge. Mayor Grant said that while Arden Hills requested this study, it appeared the scope had changed greatly. He stated that I-694 is a major barrier because it is a major road and does not offer options for pedestrian crossings. He asked how the City could make trail connections over 1-694 happen and appreciated the fact that MnDOT did not have the funding or jurisdiction over such projects. Sheila Kauppi of MnDOT stated this study was the first of its kind and noted that MnDOT has limitations as to how they could spend their funding. She stated trunk highway dollars were assigned to MnDOT owned right-of-way and so it is difficult to build a trail over a county road or city street. She said that a benefit of the study was that it could aid in the City's solicitation of funding for improvements along the corridor. Councilmember Holden stated the original focus was to provide opportunities for residents of Arden Hills to cross over I-694. Gina Mitteco stated that MnDOT has a complete streets policy that considers pedestrians and bicyclists but this does not mean that every project gets a trail. She indicated that given the barriers along the 1-694 corridor, locations that provide safe crossings with less extensive infrastructure changes were ideal. Councilmember Holmes referred to the municipal consent agreement and noted a pedestrian crossing at Snelling Avenue and 1-694 was not an expectation. She remembers a compromise that included a crossing at Lexington Avenue. Gina Mitteco stated that MnDOT has interstates all over the region and there are trail gaps everywhere. She suggested Cities and Counties initiate funding via grants to aid in financing construction of pedestrian walkways. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated that when the City applies for funding for trails, the City is scored and receives points based on whether or not the improvements are written into a long term plan and whether or not we are in agreement with other communities. He said that this study furthers the City's chance of receiving federal funding. Mayor Grant said that the Council could review the language in the original agreement and asked if any action was expected from the Council at that time. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated he was simply providing the final study and if no action was identified or required by MnDOT, they would conclude the study. D. 2016 PTRC Work Plan and Project Priorities Discussion ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 21, 2016 7 PTRC Committee Member Scott stated the purpose of the PTRC was to advise the City Council on matters related to parks, walking trails, and community education planning programs. PTRC Chair Straumann summarized projects completed in 2015 that included trail segment improvements, a TCAAP park amenities study, and creation of a maintenance program. PTRC Committee Member Van Valkenburg reviewed the completed 2015 projects that pertained to the various City parks and included a new basketball system and net replacements, garden enhancements, new benches, a pickleball court, a push light system, and the Bark and Rec Day event. He indicated the 2016 Work Plan included a second dog park at Perry Park (in addition to the dog park at Hazelnut Park), parking lot improvements at Ingerson Park, a new sign at Arden Manor Park, and addressed trail connection gaps. Councilmember Holden asked for clarification as to why a dog park would be added at Perry Park. Recreation Coordinator Grant stated that in 2015, Perry Park was utilized for storing construction equipment related to the nearby road reconstruction project. She also said that due to declining softball enrollment, the additional parking spaces that were once necessary for softball are no longer needed. In 2016, it was recommended to add a dog park at Perry Park due to ease of access, availability of parking, and to provide a second option in addition to Hazelnut Park, which can be difficult for some people to access due to a large hill. Resident Volunteer Bob Mullen discussed his past and future planned contributions to Floral Park which included increasing the types of plant and floral species. PTRC Chair Straumann summarized the ongoing parks and trails maintenance and improvements priorities that included County Road F (sidewalk gap), County Road H bridge (trail), County Road E2 (trail) and New Brighton Road (underpass/standalone trail study in conjunction with the City of New Brighton and the Railroad). Councilmember Holden stated that regarding New Brighton Road, the Railroad would dictate where the trail could be located. She said that based on the most recent communication received from the Railroad, there are no plans to replace the bridge on New Brighton Road. She agreed the City of New Brighton should be consulted if the Committee decided to pursue this. Mayor Grant stated that the Railroad is using the rail line much heavier than in the past and that cost would be a factor. Recreation Programmer Grant stated this was a high safety concern area and the Council agreed. PTRC Committee Member Van Valkenburg stated the Committee continued to pursue grant opportunities, sponsorships, and partnerships with the Arden Hills Foundation as well as the local universities and businesses, and said that donations were received for special events. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 21, 2016 8 Mayor Grant stated that the time was 8:00 pm and the City Council had a three hour meeting cap. He proposed the meeting be extended for one additional hour. PTRC Chair Straumann summarized the TCAAP/Rice Creek Commons trails and recommended park amenities. He indicated the Committee proposed an observation deck on the future water tower in the TCAAP/Rice Creek Commons redevelopment area. Information regarding an observation deck had previously been provided to the Council. PTRC Chair Straumann discussed Ramsey County's role in promoting Active Living as well as its Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan. He stated a resolution would be presented to the Council in the future for consideration in support of the County's Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan. He summarized Ramsey County's future trail developments and indicated the Committee would like to pursue a partnership with Bethel University for potential Crepeau Park improvements. PTRC Committee Member Josh Bloyer summarized the 2016 Work Plan as it pertains to enhancing and/or adding recreation opportunities in the parks. Some suggestions included Fitness in the Park; two new pitching machines; push lights for summer use; pickleball, volleyball and badminton courts; Johanna Marsh Tennis Court survey; and summer use for hockey rinks. Councilmember Holmes asked for clarification regarding the Johanna Marsh tennis court survey. Recreation Coordinator Grant stated the survey had not yet been mailed to residents, but the purpose would be to gain suggestions for other possible uses for the area as the cost to replace the tennis court is significant. PTRC Committee Member Bloyer stated that the 2016 Work Plan included recommended future replacement of play structures at the following parks: Perry (2016), Hazelnut (2017), Cummings (2018) and Freeway(2018). Councilmember Holden asked for clarification as to the reason for proposed playground equipment replacement. Recreation Coordinator Grant stated equipment is outdated, in bad condition, or does not meet current ADA standards. PTRC Committee Member Michaelson summarized the community events the PTRC had planned for 2016 that include: Floral and Hazelnut Parks Garden Clean Up, Bethel University Welcome Week and Northwestern University Orientation, Bark and Rec Day and the first annual Family Fun Bike, Run, Walk Day which will be held on June 11, 2016. PTRC Committee Member Michaelson summarized the Committee's suggestions for future City newsletter articles which included trail updates, recreation programs, tree updates, donation requests and a honey bee hive at Floral Park. Councilmember Holden said she would like to see an article in the newsletter regarding the use of pesticides and how they affect the bee population. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 21, 2016 9 Councilmember Wicklund thanked the PTRC for their hard work and contributions and offered assistance with newsletter articles. He then asked for clarification as to the location of the pedestrian walkway over the County Road E2 bridge. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated he believes it would be on the south side of the bridge but would obtain the design plan in order to confirm the walkway location. Councilmember Wicklund asked for clarification as to how suggestions for the TCAAP park designs are implemented. Councilmember Holden stated it is too early in the process to discuss implementation of the parks in the TCAAP redevelopment area. She said that the information provided by the PTRC regarding suggestions for that area are more of a"wish list". Councilmember Wicklund asked about the budget for parks, trails and recreation improvements. He asked what the future plan was to increase the amount of dollars budgeted for trail improvements. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson stated Capital Improvement information was available in the CIP. She said that in June the City Council would meet to discuss the budget, CIP items and long-range planning. Councilmember Holden asked what the cost savings were regarding the push light at Cummings Park. She also asked for clarification as to why the lights were on continually at Hazelnut Park. Recreation Coordinator Grant stated the lights were on for safety reasons. She will provide the cost savings for the push button lights at the next meeting. PTRC Chair Straumann asked for direction regarding the observation deck on the water tower at the TCAAP site. Mayor Grant stated the Council would need to consider the operational needs of the water tower as well as more information pertaining to its location before providing a recommendation. The Council agreed to discuss this item at a future work session and thanked the PTRC members for attending. E. Process and Parameters for Organized Collection on TCAAP City Attorney Joel Jamnik referenced the 2013 amended State Statute 115A.94 regarding potential organized collection in the TCAAP area. He said that any city that had more than one licensed collector, such as Arden Hills, must notify the public and all licensed collectors in the community. While State statute defined the minimum notification period as 60 days, most cities typically allowed between 120 and 180 days. City Attorney Jamnik stated that while the creation of organized collection in TCAAP would involve a completely new service area versus an existing service area, the statute did not ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 21, 2016 10 differentiate between the two as far as the procedure that must be followed. He stated this would be a lengthy, time consuming process and would require a substantial amount of City staff time to coordinate public meetings, prepare minutes, and report back to the licensees and members of the community. City Attorney Jamnik indicated that all licensed haulers in the city must be invited to solicit input regarding the process. He noted typically these were not comfortable meetings and could be highly competitive. City Attorney Jamnik also stated prior to implementation of organized collection, one possibility was that members of the community would form an organized collection taskforce to oversee the process and recommend a viable proposal to the City. If the recommendation was for one, single trash hauler, an RFP would be required followed by review of the proposals, negotiations and finalization of a contract. He stated this process could take the rest of 2016 if an aggressive schedule was followed. Mayor Grant asked if City Attorney Jamnik was aware of another city that had formed organized collection for an area that was undeveloped. City Attorney Jamnik stated he was not aware of such and that typically cities have integrated organized collection into their existing system. Mayor Grant stated he wanted to be clear that the existing service in Arden Hills, including Arden Manor, was not changing and that the proposal for organized collection solely pertained to future development of the TCAAP redevelopment area. Councilmember Holden asked how newly reconstructed roads were affected by the weight of repetitive traffic as a result of multiple trash haulers. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated that every trip over a road by a truck creates cumulative damage on a road. City Attorney Jamnik cautioned that the City should not prejudge the outcome in this process. He suggested allowing the licensed haulers to submit suggestions about how best to organize collection and the City would then review the proposals. He noted there can be one, single hauler for the entire area or a consortium of haulers, each with their own designated area and day. The Council was in agreement that organized collection would be limited to the TCAAP development area. Councilmembers Holden and Wicklund asked about staff time and typical costs associated with the process. City Attorney Jamnik stated that he would provide information to the Council in the future regarding staff time and costs but noted legal fees could be estimated at approximately $5,000 for ordinance and contract drafting, but City staff time was hard to estimate because it was not known how many meetings the process would entail or what the waiting period agreed upon would be. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 21, 2016 11 Councilmember Holden asked if the licensed haulers could provide their current rates. Mayor Grant said this information is on the City's website. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that because some residents are willing to negotiate their rate, there is no "typical"residence to base rate estimates on. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson agreed and stated that garbage haulers are reluctant to provide rates to the City to post on its website as they want residents to call to negotiate a rate. City Attorney Jamnik stated the next step would be to notify the City's licensees that the Council is interested in proceeding with organized collection in the TCAAP redevelopment area. Community Development Director Hutmacher requested the Council's assistance in prioritizing their work load as in addition to pursuing organized collection for the TCAAP redevelopment area, they would be implementing the approved 2016 Planning Commission Work Plan as well as the Business Retention and Expansion Program. Mayor Grant requested City staff formulate a plan and report back to the Council in a couple of weeks. F. Administrative Approvals City Attorney Jamnik indicated that many cities encounter changes that are requested in the field that arise during the course of construction. He said that Arden Hills' ordinance provision states that any modification to an approved application and plan must be resubmitted and treated as a new application, but if deemed minor by zoning staff,the public hearing can be waived. City Attorney Jamnik also stated that some cities have considered options wherein if the requested change brings the project more in conformance with City Code, City staff would be authorized to provide approval. City Attorney Jamnik stated that the City Code states that if the change is minor or insubstantial, the City Council would review and if it feels the change is significant, the Council would decide if it must be re-reviewed by the Planning Commission. Councilmember Holden noted the Council has not had many changes that have come back for review. City Attorney Jamnik stated he believed there were only two changes and that if the Council desired providing greater delegation and latitude to City staff, he would draft language pertaining to this. Councilmember Wicklund stated he would be interested in seeing draft language that would provide greater flexibility to staff. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 21, 2016 12 Councilmember Holmes agreed there is limited staff flexibility as currently the only flexibility is whether or not the proposed change must go back to the Planning Commission for review. She said she too would like to see more flexibility for City staff if the proposed change is in more conformity with City Code and she recommended further review. Councilmember Holden stated that City staff should not be put in a position in which they approved a change in the field that the Council did not approve of. She said that the Code was acceptable as currently written. Councilmember McClung stated staff time would be better spent on preparing for organized collection in the TCAAP area. Mayor Grant stated that as only two requested changes have been presented to the Council, he does not know if this is a problem at this point in time. City Attorney Jamnik indicated that if another city adopts an amended code regarding administrative approvals, he would update the Council. G. Update on Supreme Court Decision Regarding Signs City Attorney Jamnik discussed the Supreme Court decision which overturned an Arizona city's sign code. He stated it was recommended that cities throughout the nation review their sign code and remove content based provisions. City Attorney Jamnik stated it was anticipated a model sign code would be provided by the National Association of City Attorneys. To date he had received six drafts of that code but not a final recommendation. He expected there to be future changes to the recommendations by the National Association of City Attorneys. He discussed various types of signs and noted those that are acceptable in the right-of-way, on premises, and off premises. City Attorney Jamnik noted that this issue pertained to banners, balloons, and any physical structure that had a representation of speech, either printed or by artwork. He stated the City could still enforce the number of signs and those that are non-content based. City Attorney Jamnik recommended a change to the City's sign code should not be included in the 2016 Work Plan. He said that as more information became available, he would provide an update. He stated if the City encountered an enforcement issue regarding a sign, it would be best to try to obtain voluntary compliance. H. Building Permit Follow-Up Community Development Director Hutmacher indicated the number of permits issued in 2015 as well as the construction value associated with those permits had increased over the prior two years. To date in 2016, the City had issued 225 permits, which was more than those issued to date during each of the past 4 years. She stated that at the end of 2015,the number of open permits was less than the eight-year average and said that permits less than two years old are considered to be active. Currently there are no permits older than three years. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 21, 2016 13 Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that in the past, the City had contracted with Northstar Inspections to provide extra coverage for inspections. She recommended that the City contract with Northstar Inspections for the spring and summer of 2016 so that staff does not fall behind prior to the start of other large projects such as the Land O' Lakes expansion and the TCAAP redevelopment project. She indicated that Dave Scherbel, Building Official, performs all commercial inspections and Rob Ward, Building Inspector, performs all residential inspections and also provides code enforcement for the City. Councilmember Wicklund asked if the City had budgeted for this assistance. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson stated the City budgeted for this service. The potential costs associated with contracting with Northstar Inspections and the anticipated workload were discussed. The Council supported staff contracting with Northstar Inspections to assist in"cleaning up"the outstanding permits. Mayor Grant requested an update in the future as to the progress and status of all permits. I. Sandeen Road Councilmember Holden stated she had received calls from a property owner regarding the No Parking signs that were recently posted on Sandeen Road. She noted this individual has an unlicensed business in her garage and said the property owner's complaint is that her staff has difficulty finding parking. She stated that this property owner also had asked for a waiver for parking for her family on Easter. Mayor Grant stated that while overnight parking is allowed by special permit on a City street that allows parking at all other times, if a street is posted as no parking, this means no parking is allowed at any point in time. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated that another issue was that an employee of this business parked their vehicle across the street in a location that restricted access to the road. That vehicle also parked into the yard of the property across the street, which was a cause for concern. The Council had a general consensus that no special waiver would be granted regarding parking for one day as the location is designated as No Parking. 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES Councilmember Holden asked how long storage PODS were allowed to remain in the yard of properties. Senior Planner Bachler stated that there were regulations as to how long a storage unit could be at a residential property. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 21, 2016 14 City Planner Streff stated that temporary structures were allowed for up to 2 days in any 30 day period without a permit. The ordinance did not state the length of time allowed by permit. Councilmember Wicklund asked when the bonding process would start for the TCAAP redevelopment and if education would be provided to the residents of Arden Hills. Mayor Grant stated updates would be provided in the City newsletter. It was discussed that after a Master Developer is selected, it is possible the Master Developer could host an open house for residents. Mayor Grant requested information regarding the County Road E2 Bridge construction project. He also requested information pertaining to the City of New Brighton's side of the bridge. Councilmember Holden stated that New Brighton has new committee members on their PTRC. She suggested that the Arden Hills PTRC reach out to the New Brighton PTRC for a potential partnership on future projects. Mayor Grant suggested trails as a topic for future newsletters. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session meeting at 8:51 p.m. CL�Vu� 4J- 1 J ie Hanson David Grant eputy Clerk Mayor i